Department for Transport

Road Works: ICT

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the new digital planning service, Street Manager, will work in practice to improve the coordination of street works; and whether that service will be piloted.

baroness sugg: Street Manager will improve the planning, management and communication of street and road works in England. A key feature will allow works promoters and local authorities to see all planned and live works, to identify opportunities for collaboration and joint works.It is already being piloted by a small number of organisations. It will be used by a closed group of local authorities and utility companies during development, due to begin in May 2019. This new digital service will be fully tested later in 2019.

Electric Vehicles

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to invest in improvements to infrastructure to help support growth in the electric and hybrid car industry.

baroness sugg: The Government’s current grant funding schemes support chargepoint infrastructure at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. The £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle chargepoints installed across the UK. The Road to Zero strategy, published in July, includes new commitments to expand electric and low emission vehicle infrastructure significantly across the country. We will be launching a consultation shortly on the proposal for chargepoints to be installed in all newly built homes in England, where appropriate, and we also want all new lampposts to include charging infrastructure.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the HS2 rail project remains on (1) time, and (2) budget.

baroness sugg: Spending Review 2015 established a long term funding envelope for delivery of HS2 of £55.7bn (2015 prices). We are determined to deliver HS2 within that and HS2 Ltd has been set an ambitious target of commencing HS2 Phase One services in 2026. We will make schedule details public as part of the Full Business Case for Phase One due to be published in 2019.

High Speed Two: Dismissal

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Chairman of HS2 expects to be sacked.

baroness sugg: The Chairman of HS2 has resigned from his role. A press notice has been published on the Department’s website which can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crossrail-and-hs2-chairman-steps-down.

Railways

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whethertheyplan to provide an update to Parliament on both the Crossrail and HS2 projects; and if so, when.

baroness sugg: The Crossrail Annual Update to Parliament was laid on 24 July 2018. A Crossrail Update was also presented to Parliament on 26 October 2018. A further update on Crossrail was also provided on 10 December 2018 on the funding and financing arrangements for the final stages of the project. We have committed to update parliament annually, at least, on progress with High Speed 2. The last update was on 11 October 2018 via a Written Ministerial Statement. The government will also be publishing schedule details as part of the Full Business Case for Phase One due in 2019.

Aviation

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their Aviation Strategy Green Paper; whether that Paper will contain proposals on surface access to airports by passengers, freight and airport workers; and whether specific reference will be made to Western Rail and Southern Rail links to Heathrow Airport.

baroness sugg: The government intends to publish the Aviation Strategy green paper before the end of 2018, this will include government proposals on policy to improve surface access to airports. The green paper will not make reference to specific surface access infrastructure schemes around Heathrow Airport or elsewhere.

A21

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of improvements made to the A21 road since 2014; and whethersuch improvementshave resulted in a reduction in traffic delays.

baroness sugg: Highways England regularly monitors the performance of the Strategic Road Network to ensure its efficient operation and performance. The A21 Tonbridge to Pembury improvement scheme started construction in Spring 2015 and was completed in summer 2017. The impact of the completed scheme, which is expected to reduce congestion and improve journey times, will be studied next year (2019) as part of Highways England’s programme of Post Opening Project Evaluation. This will consider journey times and other features of the performance on this section of the A21.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Private Rented Housing: Energy

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the private rented housing sectorfurther to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.

lord henley: The Government is currently looking at policy options for setting a long-term trajectory for energy performance standards across the private rented sector, with the aim of as many private rented homes as possible being upgraded to EPC Band C by 2030, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. We intend to consult on the trajectory and policy design in 2019.

Housing: Insulation

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many dwellings in the UK have received(1) cavity wall, and (2) loft insulation since 2010; and how many applicable homes they estimate remain untreated.

lord henley: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published statistics provide information on insulation measures that have been delivered through the Government’s energy efficiency schemes.Between January 2010 and September 2018 (the latest date for when data is available), there have been 2.4 million cavity wall insulation measures and 4.6 million loft insulation measures installed to homes across Great Britain.We estimate that in Great Britain there are a further 5.3 million homes suitable for cavity wall insulation; of which 4.0 million are considered to be easy to treat; and 8.1 million homes have the potential for additional loft insulation; of which 5.8 million are considered to be easy to treat.

Solar Power

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many homes in the UK have solar panels to generate electricity installed.

lord henley: At the end of September, we estimate there were 805,000 domestic solar PV installations1,2. A small proportion of homes may have more than one installation but it is not possible to identify these in the available data. There were 789,122 domestic solar PV installations in Great Britain registered on the Central FiT Register at the end of September 2018, as published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sub-regional-feed-in-tariffs-confirmed-on-the-cfr-statisticsThere were 17,267 sub 4 kW solar installations in Northern Ireland, registered for the NI Renewables Obligation as at the end of September 2018. It is estimated around 90% of these would be installed on homes. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/759558/Solar_photovoltaics_deployment_October_2018.xlsx

Transport: Manufacturing Industries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of transport equipment manufacturing output.

lord henley: According figures published by the office for National Statistics output in the transport equipment manufacturing sectors has seen record high levels over the past year and has increased by 46% between 2010 and 2017 in real terms. The table below lists real terms gross value added for the sector over the last eight years. Transport Equipment Manufacturing Gross Value AddedYearReal Terms GVA (£m 2016 prices)201018,525201120,374201221,238201322,862201423,640201525,019201626,072201727,144Source: ONS GPD Low-level aggregates The vast majority of transport equipment manufacturing is accounted for by the manufacture of automotive and aerospace equipment, but the sector also covers the manufacture of rail rolling stock, ships and boats, motorcycles, cycles and mobility scooters.

Industry: Finance

baroness neville-rolfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sector deals have been agreed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy under their Industrial Strategy; and how much funding they have allocated to each deal.

lord henley: Nine sector deals have been agreed so far. These are with the nuclear, creative industries, construction, AI, automotive, rail, aerospace sectors, and the life sciences sector has published two deals. Sector deals are negotiated partnerships between government and Industry in key sectors of the economy to unblock barriers to productivity in specific areas. There is no new funding available, and they do not allocate funding to sectors. Some of the nine Deals agreed to date have involve supporting sector-led proposals with existing sources of Government funding.

Business: Billing

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their consultation,Creating a responsible payment culture: a call for evidence on tackling late payment,published on 4 October,whether they have any plans to introduce penalty measures on companies who make late payments to small businesses; and if so, what are those measures.

lord henley: The Government is determined to eliminate the continuing scourge of late payments, and understands how important this is, especially for smaller businesses. The Government has a range of measures in place to tackle late payment. It is now a legal requirement for the UK’s largest businesses to report on their payment practices every six months. We have also created the Small Business Commissioner to address small business complaints about late payment and foster a cultural change to encourage responsible payment practices across the UK economy. In October, BEIS launched a public Call for Evidence to understand the impact of late payment on SMEs and to seek views on how the government could go further to tackle the problem. The call for evidence closed on 29 November with nearly 300 responses. It is right and proper that the Government carefully considers the views of respondents before formally responding.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iraq: Islamic State

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 November (HL11345), whether they will now answer the question asked, namely what assessment they have made of the finding of the report of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Unearthing Atrocities: Mass Graves in territory formerly controlled by ISIL, published on 6 November, that from the beginning of 2014 until the end of 2017 ISIS committed atrocities resulting in approximately 30,000 civilian deaths and 55,150 injured persons.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 November (HL11346), whether they will now answer the question asked, namely what assessment they have made of the finding of the report of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Unearthing Atrocities: Mass Graves in territory formerly controlled by ISIL, published on 6 November, that ISIS left 202 mass graves containing thousands of bodies.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is unable to independently and accurately verify the United Nations’ assessment on numbers of civilian deaths, injured persons and mass graves in Iraq. However, we believe that the task of locating mass graves and holding perpetrators to account is not an issue for Iraq alone but one of global concern, which is why the UK led on UNSCR 2379 to establish a team (UNITAD) to collect evidence of Daesh crimes in order to hold members of Daesh to account for their actions. We are working closely with the team. However, it is clear that the scale of Daesh’s crimes against innocent civilians is horrific and marks an appalling period in Iraq’s history.We are pressing the Government of Iraq to work closely with the UN’s Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh, as well as non-governmental organisations and other bodies working on this issue. The issue of mass graves in previously Daesh held territory was also discussed in my recent meeting with Karim Khan QC who is the Special Advisor to UNITAD. He informed me that both UNITAD and the Iraqi Government will be visiting the first of these sites shortly.

Iraq: Islamic State

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 November (HL11347), whether they will now answer the question asked, namely what representations they have made to the government of Iraq about the finding of the report of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Unearthing Atrocities: Mass Graves in territory formerly controlled by ISIL, published on 6 November, that that the Mass Graves Directorate has an insufficient number of experts to meet current needs.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is unable to independently and accurately verify the United Nations’ assessment on numbers of civilian deaths, injured persons and mass graves in Iraq. However, we believe that the task of locating mass graves and holding perpetrators to account is not an issue for Iraq alone but one of global concern, which is why the UK led on UNSCR 2379 to establish a team (UNITAD) to collect evidence of Daesh crimes in order to hold members of Daesh to account for their actions.We have not made an assessment on staffing in the Iraqi Mass Graves Directorate, but we are pressing the Government of Iraq to work closely with the UN’s Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh, as well as non-governmental organisations and other bodies working on this issue. The issue of mass graves in previously Daesh held territory was also discussed in my recent meeting with Karim Khan QC who is the Special Advisor to UNITAD. He informed me that both UNITAD and the Iraqi Government will be visiting the first of these sites shortly.

Jerusalem: Cultural Heritage

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the protection of the historical and archaeological diversity of East Jerusalem; and what assessment they have made of the current excavations supported by the government of Israel which are reportedly being used to create fake Jewish tombs around the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made any assessment on this issue, we are strongly opposed to any attempts to change the facts on the ground in East Jerusalem.

Israel: Bedouin

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take steps to ensure that the village of Khan Al-Ahmer is not demolished by Israeli authorities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware that Israel has postponed the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar in order to exhaust negotiations for evacuation by agreement. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities not to go ahead with their plan to demolish the village.

Israel: Gaza

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel about the release of medical supplies confiscated by Israel authorities from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla; and when they anticipate the government of Israel will release the supplies.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​On 23 August 2018, the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories informed officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv that the supplies carried on the vessels were delivered into the Gaza Strip via the Erez crossing.

Sheikh Sayah Al-Turi

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are making representations to the government of Israel about the detention of Sheikh Sayah Abu Madhi’m A-Turi; and if so, what has been the response.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the plan by the government of Israel to build 2,300 houses for Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox population on the site of the Deir Yassin massacre.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not made any assessment on this issue.

Department of Health and Social Care

Pharmacy

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto expand the range of drugs covered by the New Medicines Scheme in community pharmacies.

lord o'shaughnessy: There are no current plans to expand the New Medicine Service. All changes to the community pharmacy contractual framework are made following negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.

Pharmacy

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact assessmentthey have carried out on the possible decommissioning of the Minor Ailments Scheme.

lord o'shaughnessy: No assessment of the impact of decommissioning of local Minor Ailment Schemes (MAS) has been undertaken nationally. MASs are currently commissioned locally by the National Health Service according to need. A pilot digital minor illness referral service (DMIRS) commenced last year in the North East with direct referrals from NHS 111 to community pharmacy. Building on this three further DMIRS pilots, supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund, were launched in November 2018, in Devon, London and East Midlands. An evaluation will inform next steps.

Pharmacy

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand the number of prescribing pharmacists.

lord o'shaughnessy: Pharmacists prescribers are currently working across a range of services in both secondary and primary care. As part of a planned programme of expansion, additional pharmacists are being recruited to work in patient facing roles in general practice. They will be treating patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas and they will either be prescribers, or training to become one. As of October 2018, 876 clinical pharmacists have been recruited, and we have been informed by NHS England that it is committed to recruiting an additional 1,950 clinical pharmacists in general practice by 2020/21.

Pharmacy Integration Fund

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Pharmacy Integration Fund has been spent; and what plans they have for the future of the fund.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) has been used to support the employment of pharmacists in integrated urgent care, general practice and care homes where their expert knowledge of medicines is helping to ensure the best care for patients. It has also been used to fund pilots of the supply of urgent medicines to patients without the need for a general practitioner appointment as well as the referral of patients, presenting with minor illness, direct from NHS111 or NHS Online to community pharmacy. These programmes are aimed at better utilising the skillset and reach of community pharmacy teams to support the wider health service. They are being underpinned by several new education and leadership programmes which are also being funded by the PhIF.The Government remains committed to this programme and we are continuing to invest in the development of community pharmacy through this fund. Most recently, NHS England announced their plans for a new pilot scheme, with investment of £1 million from the PhIF, to develop system leadership within pharmacy. These pharmacy leaders will set the vision for pharmacy and medicines optimisation within their area, and will support the delivery of a NHS Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Transformation Plan, making the best use of pharmacy in meeting local and national health priorities.

Department for International Development

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 27 November (HL11515), what the AAWAZ Voice and Accountability Programme has achieved in Pakistan; how much that programme has cost; what assessment they have made of whether discrimination against religious minorities in Pakistan is decreasing.

lord bates: The AAWAZ Voice and Accountability Programme was a successful six-year, £39.1m programme which ended in May 2018. It reached over 8m people to increase the voice, choice and control of poor and excluded people in Pakistan. It included a focus on women and minorities to promote tolerance and inclusion. Beneficiary feedback from people who participated in interventions suggested a shift in attitudes towards minorities. Programme reports with results and assessments are available on DFID’s development tracker website.

Pakistan: Minority Groups

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 27 November (HL11514), whether they intend to collect disaggregated population data on minority groups in Pakistan to establish whether UK aid reaches those groups; when they last raised the issue of inclusion of minorities with the government of Pakistan; and what response, if any, they received.

lord bates: DFID has developed a data disaggregation action plan to help strengthen our understanding of whom and where people are, or are at risk of, being left behind and the analysis of why. The action plan sets out the initial practical steps that we will take to move the agenda forward within our own organisation and through the global system, focusing on four key levels of disaggregation - sex, age, disability status and geography. We have focused on these four in the first instance to reorient our approach and raise our ambition, which over time will ensure DFID is better equipped to disaggregate in a number of ways, including by minority group. DFID and FCO continue to raise the issue of human rights of minorities at the highest levels with the Government of Pakistan, including in our annual Bilateral Assistance Talks, advocating greater tolerance and action against abuses when they occur.

Turkey: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the inability of the EU chief auditor to verify the expenditure of €1 billion of aid funding intended for refugees in Turkey; and whether they intend to make representations to the government of Turkey about such funds.

lord bates: DFID welcomes the audit of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) by the European Court of Auditors (ECA), published in November. The ECA’s report highlights the success of the FRIT in mobilising a swift response to the crisis and delivering projects that have provided helpful support to Syrian refugees in Turkey. DFID supports the ECA’s recommendations for further improvements to the FRIT, including improving access to primary data for two programmes (representing €382 million of FRIT expenditure). The ECA notes that the anonymised data provided by the Government of Turkey for these projects has made the European Commission’s monitoring and evaluation less effective. The UK remains an active member of the FRIT Steering Committee and maintains a regular dialogue – at all levels – with the Government of Turkey on the FRIT. We have used our position to influence the FRIT to be more sustainable and maintain focus on supporting the most vulnerable, as well as challenging the European Commission to improve its monitoring and evaluation framework. We will continue to raise issues of concern with the relevant Turkish authorities and with the Commission.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bangladesh about the construction of accommodation for Rohingya refugees on the silt island of Bhasan Char in the River Meghna.

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what UK aid resources are being used for the construction of accommodation for Rohingya refugees on the silt island of Bhasan Char in the River Meghna; and whether, and if so what, conditions of suitability for human habitation are provisos for such support.

lord bates: The UK Government has provided no support for the proposed relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char Island. We have raised concerns about the island’s fitness for this purpose with the Government of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability for large scale human habitation by refugees of the silt island of Bhasan Char in the River Meghna.

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received from UN personnel who have visited the silt island of Bhasan Char about the suitability of the island for accommodating up to 100,000 Rohingya refugees.

lord bates: We have made clear to the government of Bangladesh that any relocation of refugees must be safe, dignified and meet international humanitarian principles and standards. The Government of Bangladesh and humanitarian agencies have formed a working group. A UN led technical assessment of the island is a priority to understand the viability of the relocation proposal.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any consultation that has taken place between the government of Bangladesh and Rohingya refugees about the proposed relocation of up to 100,000 refugees to the silt island of Bhasan Char.

lord bates: The UK Government is clear that any relocation of refugees must be safe, dignified and meet international humanitarian principles and standards.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 27 November (HL11513), how they (1) monitor, and (2) evaluate the success of programmes they fund in Pakistan; and what methods they use to check that aid provided is used for its intended purpose.

lord bates: DFID Pakistan uses a range of approaches to monitor and evaluate our programmes. Every programme within the portfolio is required to develop a comprehensive monitoring plan to enable assessment of whether the programme is achieving planned results. Programmes use different monitoring arrangements depending on the context, which include a range of internal approaches including field visits and annual reviews as well as independent, external monitoring arrangements. Programmes gather a broad range of evidence to support the management of their programmes and to facilitate robust assessment, including through formal evaluation. Evaluations are carefully selected to ensure their findings add as much value as possible. DFID has a zero tolerance approach to aid diversion. We have a rigorous set of standard controls and measures to protect UK aid and ensure it reaches those for whom it is intended and delivers results. Our programmes carefully consider aid diversion controls across the programme cycle. Partners are carefully selected and scrutinised to ensure they can manage and deliver the intended programme results. We ensure that the partners we fund apply similar controls and have effective safeguards in place to protect UK aid from being diverted.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people they estimate to have (1) fled the conflict in South Sudan, (2) been internally displaced in that country because of the conflict, and (3) died because of the conflict.

lord bates: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that over 4.7 million people have fled their homes as a result of the conflict, including nearly 2 million who have been internally displaced.A report published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in September this year estimated that 383,000 South Sudanese people have died as a result of the conflict (either due to violence or the wider impact of the conflict on food security and health services) during the period December 2013 to April 2018.

Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion ofofficial development assistanceis distributed through faith-based organisations.

lord bates: UK official development assistance is distributed through a wide range of bilateral and multilateral partners. DFID does not disaggregate and retain specific information on funding distributed to faith-based organisations. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Libya: Immigrants

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what detailed information they have about conditions in the 26 detention camps for refugees and migrants in Libya which are part-funded by the EU Regional Emergency Trust Fund for Africa; and what assessment they have made of reports of malnutrition and abuse in those camps.

lord bates: The UK government and the EU Regional Emergency Trust Fund for Africa do not fund or part-fund migrant detention centres in Libya or have any involvement in the day-to-day running of them. These centres are the responsibility of the Libyan authorities. The UK government does not hold detailed information on the centres but we are aware that conditions in them are appalling and we are concerned about those living in them. We are urging the Libyan authorities to improve conditions in the centres, to develop alternatives, and, where it is possible to do so, UK aid is providing basic humanitarian support to those who are in them, including blankets and clothes.

Libya: Human Trafficking

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of refugees and migrants currently held under duress by traffickers in Libya; and what plans, if any, exist for freeing them.

lord bates: The British Government remains deeply concerned that people smugglers and traffickers continue to exploit the desperation of migrants in Libya. Libya is a very challenging environment to operate in, which makes it difficult to accurately assess the number of migrants and refugees currently detained. The International Organisation for Migration estimate that 4,800 migrants are held in official detention centres, often subject to poor conditions and overcrowding, but this figure does not account for those held elsewhere by traffickers, militias or other armed groups. The Government has been clear that more needs to be done to break the business model of people smugglers and is taking steps to ensure that those responsible for trafficking are held to account. This includes supporting efforts to sanction people smugglers and build the capacity of Libyan law enforcement agencies. As part of these efforts, in June 2018, the UK together with international partners co-designated UN sanctions against six Libyan and Eritrean people traffickers.

International Conference on Population and Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to respond to the Ottawa Statement of Commitmentmade at the seventh International Parliamentarians' Conference on Population and Development on 23 October; if so, when; and whether they will publish any such response.

lord bates: The UK was pleased to be represented at the recent International Parliamentarians’ Conference on Population and Development. Our policy fully supports the broad consensus on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights reached at the meeting. We are a global leader on sexual and reproductive health and rights and will continue to demonstrate our strong commitment to the issues highlighted in the statement through our funding, advocacy and leadership.

UN Commission on Population and Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government which ministers and officials will attend the 2019 Commission on Population and Development as delegates.

lord bates: 2019 is an important year for the UN Commission of Population and Development as it marks 25 years since the first International Commission on Population and Development meeting in Cairo, and 50 years since the formation of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UK representation at the Commission will be decided in due course. We would encourage all UN Member states to attend at the highest appropriate level.

UN Commission on Population and Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the 2019 Commission on Population and Development.

lord bates: 2019 is an important year for the UN Commission of Population and Development as it marks 25 years since the first International Commission on Population and Development meeting in Cairo, and 50 years since the formation of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UK priorities at the Commission will be decided in due course. We would encourage all UN Member states to attend at the highest appropriate level.

International Conference on Population and Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action in 2019; and if so, how.

lord bates: 2019 is an important year for sexual and reproductive health and rights as it marks 25 years since the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, and 50 years since the formation of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UK engagement and representation at anniversary events hosted by UNFPA and other partners will be decided in due course. The UK is a global leader on sexual and reproductive health and rights and we will continue to demonstrate our strong commitment to the agenda through our funding, advocacy and leadership.

Sustainable Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the UK's Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goals.

lord bates: Work on the UK’s Voluntary National Review is under way. The Government is committed to producing an inclusive, credible, and robust report which will be presented at the UN High Level Political Forum in July 2019. We expect to publish the report shortly before then. We are inviting input from a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives of civil society and businesses, to tell us how they are contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals via our Voluntary National Review website, www.gov.uk/sustainabledevelopmentgoals. It would be very helpful if Parliamentarians could help us publicise this opportunity. We continue to engage with interested groups, including Parliamentarians, before the report is finalised and will be holding a series of roundtable events early next year.

Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to adopt the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration; and if so, what assessment they have made of the impact of such an adoption, particularly in relation to whether doing so would make any criticism of immigration a criminal offence; and whether they have any plans to mitigate any such impact on freedom of speech.

lord bates: Well-managed migration is in everyone’s interests. But uncontrolled migration erodes public confidence, damages economies, and places those on the move in situations of great vulnerability. The UK is taking significant steps to tackle uncontrolled migration both in our domestic policy work and in our ODA-funded programmes by:Addressing the root causes of migration, through our targeted assistance for livelihoods, healthcare, education and economic development;Tackling modern slavery and organised immigration crimeSupporting enhanced border managementProviding critical humanitarian support and protection for vulnerable migrants, as well as offering voluntary return and vital reintegration support to those wishing to return homeSupporting refugees to stay in a first safe country through our humanitarian and development work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia The Global Compact for Migration is one way in which we are working to ensure that UK migration priorities are embedded throughout the international system. It is a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and helpful framework to help us deliver our commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals. The Compact is not legally binding. It creates a framework that will allow countries to work together to make migration more beneficial for everyone. It protects every State’s right to determine its own immigration policies, including in areas such as asylum, border controls and returns of illegal migrants.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children excluded from school for racist bullying in England and Wales in the last year; and what assessment they have made of the implications of such bullying and exclusions for social and community cohesion.

lord agnew of oulton: The most recent data from academic year 2016/2017 show that there were 25 permanent exclusions (0.3% of all permanent exclusions) and 4,565 fixed period exclusions (1.2% of all fixed period exclusions) recorded with the reason of ‘racist abuse’. This includes derogatory racist statements, racist bullying, racist graffiti, racist taunting and harassment and swearing that can be attributed to racist characteristics. The data can be sourced from the National Tables spreadsheet (table 4), published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2016-to-2017Racism has no place in our schools and any incident is unacceptable. The department supports head teachers using exclusion where it is warranted.The government want to make sure that all children learn the values that underpin our society – including fairness, tolerance and respect. These values help knit our communities together, which is why education is at the heart of the government’s integration strategy. All state funded schools have a legal obligation to promote community cohesion.The government has committed to providing over £2.8 million of funding from September 2016 to March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes the Anne Frank Trust, which we are funding to develop and deliver their ‘free to be’ debate programme. The programme encourages young people to think about the importance of tackling prejudice, discrimination and bullying.In November 2018, the department published the attached 'Respectful School Communities' publication, a self-review and sign-posting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind.In March 2018, the government launched an externally led review of exclusions practice, chaired by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.The full terms of reference for the review are attached.  



HL11980_Respectful_School_Communities_publication_
(PDF Document, 2.71 MB)




A_Review_of_School_Exclusion-terms_of_reference_HL
(PDF Document, 107.44 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Sentencing: Females

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that, when convicting women, sentencers consider using community sentences and residential requirements rather than custodial sentences.

lord keen of elie: The Female Offender Strategy sets out our vision to see fewer women in custody by developing more options for supporting women in the community. Across government, we are investing £5 million of funding over two years in community provision for women. The first tranche of this funding was announced last month, and saw £3.3 million invested in women’s provision, including enhancing existing services, creating new services for women with specific needs, such as domestic abuse, and supporting the development of new women’s centres.As part of the Female Offender strategy, we also committed to working with local and national partners to develop a ‘residential women’s centre’ pilot in at least five sites across England and Wales. The aim of the pilot will be to develop a robust evidence base about what could be effective, sustainable and scalable models for improving outcomes for female offenders and reducing the numbers and frequency of women entering and re-entering custody on short custodial sentences.We are making sure the National Probation Service’s pre-sentence reports – which assist the court in making sentencing decisions - offer the courts robust community sentencing options which balance punitive and rehabilitative requirements and set out how women will be supported to comply. This may mean that, in some cases, the courts will sentence a woman to a community order rather than a short custodial sentence.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Mexico

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) comments of the new President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about ending free-market economic policies in Mexico, and (2) impact that this may have on trade arrangements between the UK and Mexico after Brexit.

baroness fairhead: The Government is seeking continuity for our existing EU free trade agreements as we leave the European Union, including the EU- Mexico deal. The new Mexican Government took up office on 1 December. We have been engaging regularly with the previous administration and the new one to work towards ensuring continuity for businesses as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

Sanctions: Iran

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the reintroduction of sanctions on Iranby theUnited States has had on UK-registered companies trading with Iran.

baroness fairhead: The US Treasury has re-imposed sanctions against Iran relating to financial institutions, and Iran’s energy, insurance and shipping sectors. There has been an impact on UK businesses, although it is too early to make a comprehensive assessment. Where necessary, UK companies should seek legal advice. The Department for International Trade has a dedicated team working at the British Embassy in Tehran to support UK businesses active in the Iranian market. We continue to monitor any impact on UK-Iran trade caused by the re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran.

EU External Trade: Iran

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in agreeing the European Union’s proposed Special Purpose Vehicle to facilitate trade with Iran and to retain some of the sanctions relief provided by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

baroness fairhead: Her Majesty’s Government is undertaking extensive discussions with the other members of the E3 (France and Germany) and the European Union to finalise the technical details of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). The E3/EU are committed to making every effort possible to deliver the SPV to secure banking channels and maintain sanctions relief to Iran.

Trade Agreements: New Zealand

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make a bilateral free trade agreement with New Zealand after Brexit.

baroness fairhead: Both the UK and New Zealand have publicly committed to pursuing a bilateral Free Trade Agreement once the UK has left the EU. In July 2018, my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade launched a consultation seeking views on future free trade agreement negotiations, including with New Zealand. The consultations closed in October and the Department for International Trade is currently considering the responses.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

South Tees Mayoral Development Corporation

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the South Tees Development Corporation is funded by the public purse.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has provided £5 million of grant to the Tees Valley Combined Authority to support the operations of the South Tees Development Corporation in 2018/19 and 2019/20. The latest budget plan for the development corporation over these 2 years outlines expenditure of £7.572 million. The actual amounts spent, and the sources of the income will be available in the statement of accounts for those years when published. The South Tees Development Corporation's statement of accounts for 2017/18 - its first year of operation is available (attached) - here: https://www.southteesdc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/STDC-17-18-Signed-Accounts.pdf



Statement for accounts for 2017/18
(PDF Document, 448.85 KB)

Regeneration: Redcar

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Tees Valley Mayor, the South Tees Development Corporation and businesses about investment in and the regeneration of in the old Sahaviriya Steel Industries site.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is working with Mayor Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Combined Authority and the South Tees Development Corporation to promote new investment across the entire development corporation site. Government is looking to promote new developments in low carbon electricity generation; manufacturing and process industries, as well as research and development into innovative technologies aligned with the Industrial Strategy and Clean Growth Strategy. Any proposals for additional funding would need to meet public funding guidelines. On the part of the site owned by SSI-in-liquidation, development is currently constrained because of the charges held by three Thai banks. Negotiations are ongoing to remove these charges by the South Tees Development Corporation, supported by Her Majesty's Government.

South Tees Mayoral Development Corporation

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what ways the South Tees Development Corporation is accountable to the Treasury; and what involvement they have, if any, in the decisions made by the Corporation in relation to approving bids for investment.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Following the devolution of mayoral development corporation powers to the Tees Valley Combined Authority, and the designation by the Tees Valley Mayor, the Government was required to seek Parliamentary approval to the Order establishing the South Tees Development Corporation. The object of the South Tees Development Corporation is to secure the regeneration of its area, and it may do anything it considers appropriate for these purposes. It is not accountable to the Treasury; it is accountable to the Tees Valley Mayor who decided to establish it. The Mayor is also the Chair of the South Tees Development Corporation and appoints its members. The Mayor is accountable to the Combined Authority and the Tees Valley electorate.Any requests made for national public funding by the Tees Valley Combined Authority or the South Tees Development Corporation are assessed by the relevant Department and, where appropriate, Her Majesty’s Treasury in line with the guidelines of ‘Managing Public Money’. As part of its devolution deal the Tees Valley Combined Authority has been given an investment fund of £15m a year for 30 years. The Combined Authority has responsibility for how it will invest these funds within the scope of an agreed assurance framework, which sets out how they will appraise, monitor and evaluate schemes to achieve value for money. Investment decisions made by the Mayor and the Combined Authority are subject to the agreement of the Combined Authority and local scrutiny. An independent panel will assess the impact of investments on economic growth at five yearly Gateway Reviews. Further information on the governance arrangements of the South Tees Development Corporation is available (attached) on its website: https://www.southteesdc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/STDC-17-18-Signed-Annual-Governance-Statement.pdf and https://www.southteesdc.com/about-us/transparency-required-information/



Annual Governance Statement
(PDF Document, 468.94 KB)

Regeneration: Redcar

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have held discussions with the South Tees Development Corporation about proposals it is considering regarding investment in and the regeneration of the old Sahaviriya Steel Industries site; and if so, what are those proposals.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is working with Mayor Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Combined Authority and the South Tees Development Corporation to promote new investment across the entire development corporation site. At this stage, proposals are commercially confidential. Any proposals for public support for these investments would need to meet public funding guidelines.

Department for Work and Pensions

Mesothelioma: Compensation

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase tariff payments from the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme in line with the Consumer Price Index; if so, when; and whether they intend to conduct a review of that Scheme.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount claimants to the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme receive compared to those with mesothelioma who successfully pursued civil claims; whether the difference in those amounts has increased in the past three years; and whether they will publish details of the average pay-out variations between the Scheme and civil claims.

baroness buscombe: When the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) was introduced in 2014 the payment tariffs were based on 80 percent of the average damages awarded in the civil courts. This amount was increased to 100 percent in 2015This increase is far greater than if increases had been made in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For example, the highest DMPS payment for those aged 40 or under in 2014 was £216,896 and this was increased to £271,120 in 2015, and the lowest payment for those aged 90 or over increased from £69,649 to £87,061 Information about the value of court awards or out of court settlements in Diffuse Mesothelioma cases in the past three years is not available. The 'Study into average civil compensation in mesothelioma cases', published in 2014, estimated average (mean) civil compensation at £153,531 (in 2012 prices). The average payment under the DMPS for each of the last three years is £135,000, £141,000 and £145,000 respectively. In line with commitments made during the passage of the Mesothelioma Bill, the intention is to review the payment tariffs, in due course, to ensure payments made under the Scheme are maintained at the appropriate level.



Research Report 2014
(PDF Document, 671.2 KB)

Home Office

Housing: Asylum

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under asylum accommodation contracts, they will include housing providers in the list of public authorities with a duty to refer under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017; and if not, why not.

baroness williams of trafford: The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 creates a duty on certain named public authorities to refer people to local authorities who may be at risk of becoming homeless.Consideration has been given to making the Home Office a named public authority for these purposes in circumstances where a person is leaving asylum accommodation following a grant of refugee status. However, it was considered unnecessary to do this because asylum accommodation providers are already under a contractual duty, which predated the 2017 Act, to refer these cases to the appropriate local authority.Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status become eligible to receive assistance with housing from their local authority in the same way as British Citizens or other permanent residents of the UK and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that temporary accommodation provided for asylum applicants is safe, hygienic, and of a reasonable standard.

baroness williams of trafford: Accommodation providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or lo-cal housing legislation.The contract requires providers to inspect each property every month and UKVI inspects a significant proportion of properties each year to ensure standards are being met. Where asylum accommodation is found to be falling short of the required standards UKVI has procedures in place to hold suppliers to account to quickly resolve the issue.

Treasury

Standard of Living

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, The cumulative impact in living standards of public spending changes, published on 28 November, which states that public spending changes have had a disproportionately negative impact on lone parents, young adults, severely disabled people and certain ethnic groups since 2010.

lord bates: The EHRC’s report does not cover the increase in spending in the new multi-year funding plan for NHS England, equating to £20.5bn more per year in real terms by 2023-24.The Treasury, along with other relevant departments, carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics - including at Budgets and other fiscal events - in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to promoting fairness.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Video Games: Gambling

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to conduct an investigation into the impact loot boxes in video games have on (1) underage gambling, and (2) instances of gambling related harm.

viscount younger of leckie: Where gambling facilities are offered, operators must have a licence from the Gambling Commission and have controls in place to prevent underage gambling. Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour and longer term lead to gambling related harm, and will continue to look closely at any evidence around this issue. We welcome the recent introduction by the VSC Ratings Board and PEGI of a new label for video games to warn parents where they include the opportunity to make in-game purchases. In September 2018, the Gambling Commission, along with 16 other regulators from Europe and the USA signed a declaration which outlined common concerns around gaming and gambling. The regulators agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling.

Social Media

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to invest in cyber skills to help improve the digital protection provided to users of social media.

viscount younger of leckie: Our Digital Charter aims to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. As part of this work, we will publish an Online Harms White Paper in winter 2018/19, which will include a range of proposals including setting out how we will ensure that parents, children and other users develop the skills they need to stay safe online. Government is committed to increasing cyber security capacity across all sectors to ensure that the UK has the right level and blend of skills required to maintain our resilience to cyber threats and be the world’s leading digital economy.